Untold stories: Battle of the Labyrinth
by McCatty
Summary: We all know Percy's narration of the Battle of The Labyrinth. In short that's all we know. But what of events that happened at camp during his quest in the Labyrinth?, Someone else's story?.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 ***coughs* ahem!**

 ***draws out speech notes***

 **Ladies and gentlemen...and everyone in between..., having decided to join this great association of dreamers aka also known as fanfiction dot net , I've also ventured to flounder in the murky waters of fanfic writing, and have therefore penned my first one based on the Demigod books of the Great Rick Riordan (may he live forever).** **Any halfhearted prodding with a stick will be profusely appreciated. Please don't stick my head in the water.**

 **Also, a very hearty congratulations to all those who succeeded in boarding the 2016 bus. We deserve it. Running after a bus is no mean feat. And a moment of silence for those who weren't so lucky.**

 ***skips through several notes* yes, right. I'd like to say a big thank you to my beta who convinced me that It'sWorthAShot ;p! You rock!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson series. That honor goes to Rick Riordan (may he live forever).**

Chapter 1

ANGIE

Angie hadn't thought today would be anything more than ordinary. But that was before they'd gotten trapped in a tunnel.

They'd gone on a family tour to Alcatraz Island at Francisco Bay. It was supposed to have been Angel Island but somehow Mitch had booked the wrong tickets. But that was okay, Alcatraz was actually more interesting than she'd thought. Everything was going great – until Bree started getting restless.

"This is so boring," she sighed again, staring up at the ceiling, shifting from one foot to the other.

Then ten seconds later, "I'm STAR-ving..."

A guy next to her shot her an irritated glare. She stuck her tongue out at him defiantly.

That was her sister. She could be a typical bratty half pint sometimes. Today she was wearing her favorite t-shirt that had a huge neon peace sign plastered on it, jeans and sneakers. She'd refused to wear a jacket to the island.

Angie cocked an eyebrow at her. "You just ate like thirty minutes ago. Relax, it will be over before you know it." Bree's ADHD made her acting up very annoying to bear.

She put on her headphones again, drowning out her Bree's whining with the audio tour as she looked up at the cells in B-Block.

"Most of the new inmates in Alcatraz were assigned to blocks B and C where there were about three hundred and sixty six cells in all. Each inmate..."

Frequently, she took pictures with her 1980's vintage camera. It had been her dad's when he was in college and it still worked. Now it was one of her (many) obsessive passions. She'd even named it Flash, because the camera flash kept going off like an accidental discharge.

Bree tugged at her jacket sleeve and she lifted off the headphones a bit. "Where's Mitch?"

Mitch was supposed to be their chaperon as the 'adult' one. But he'd obviously gone off on his own somewhere.

"Do you _need_ something? The headphones are for the tour, you know." Angie jutted her chin at the headphones hanging round Bree's neck which she hadn't bothered to put on.

"Not interested. This place is depressing." She muttered sullenly.

Angie sighed. She knew Bree had wanted the tour to Angel Island. This was just a way of blowing steam. Still she supposed it was true, Alcatraz Penitentiary main cell block and it's metal chicken coops and catwalks weren't exactly a cheery sight especially for someone like Bree.

"Alright" she surrendered, " Just a few more pictures and then we'll go somewhere else".

Bree gave her the salute, and Angie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

She and her sister were pretty close. Despite the occasional bouts of childishness, Bree was pretty mature for a ten year old. She and Mitch on the other hand...well, not so much. But then again, she hadn't seen him in a while, since he'd just finished from a boarding high school in Ridgecrest.

She took several pictures of the upper floors and catwalks. She wasn't sure how many she'd be able to develop successfully. She wasn't really good at that. The audio tour was still going on about prison timetables and guard rotation.

"Okay, let's..."

She turned around and paused. The hallway was empty. Bree was gone.

...

She found Bree in the D-Block section after some worried searching. She'd not been there yet; it didn't seem like _anybody_ had been there yet either. The interior was empty and semi-dark; a few fluorescent bulbs were shining white-blue light overhead, giving the place a creepy glow.

Bree was leaning against the wall with her head peeking out around the bend. Definitely spying on something.

"Bree! What are you-?"

" _Shhh_ _!_ " Bree turned to her sharply with a finger on her lips. "They came out of a hole in the wall," she whispered, eyes gleaming with excitement "A secret passage! The big guy- he bent the bars!"

 _What?_ What on earth was she talking about?!

"Great. Bree, c'mon, let's go." Angie tugged Bree's shoulder, but was roughly shaken off.

"Wait! Do you hear that?"

Humoring her, Angie bent to listen. Then she heard it. Sobbing. And... hissing? Not exactly hissing but something like a snake trying to speak through a sore throat. Her stomach did that funny, sinking feeling. _What is going on?_

She should have left then, grabbed Bree and hightailed it out of there like her hair was on fire. But did she listen to her instinct? _Nooo_ _…_ She just _had_ to do the thing that got every nosy civilian killed by the FBI in movies. She leant in to see.

Four figures – by the lights, she could see they were wearing orange t-shirts – were crouching in the shadows down in the courtyard. Probably doing the same thing she and Bree were doing – though obviously, none of them were crying; they were talking. One was a girl with her hair up in a ponytail and next to her was a boy holding-

Her eyes bugged out. "Wha-? Is that a _sword?_ "

No, it couldn't be. But the bronze light glowing off it like a reflective sticker made it unmistakable. A sword. Made of bronze. _Awesome_. Who knew real swords even existed these days?

"Maybe they're actors? You know… acting?" Bree suggested.

Well, that would explain it… maybe something Medieval like...

Someone grabbed her shoulder.

And she whirled around, hands flying to her head, ready to blurt something like 'my wife and children'-

 _"Mitch,"_ she sighed in relief.

"Mhmm," he grunted, squinting irritably as he adjusted the glasses she'd succeeded in knocking off his face earlier.

Then he frowned. "What on earth are you-?"

" _Shh_ , keep your voice down!"

"-guys doing here!" he continued at a lower volume. "I've been looking all over for you."

"We're watching some actors, Mitch. Hey, they're moving. I'm gonna follow," Bree said, her leg already hovering in mid-air.

Angie grabbed her shirt neck, "Now wait a min-"

Something huge, smelly and fast swooped low over them and they ducked. The thing was gone before she could raise her head again. But the smell still lingered. A burning, sulfurous stench. Her eyes watered.

"What was _that?_ " Mitch wheezed, adjusting his glasses again as they scrambled back to their feet.

Angie remembered the hissing she'd heard. "Probably a large… bat?"

Mitch's expression was doubtful, but he nodded anyway. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Wait! We haven't checked out the secret passage!" Bree whisper-shouted.

Mitch stopped. And face-palmed.

"The actors used it to get in here. Guys, I'm not kidding, I'll show you!"

 _Still think they're actors?_ Well she had her own theories, and she was ready to see if they were valid or not.

She followed Bree and Mitch followed her, muttering something about Disney and brainwashing.

Bree led them across the courtyard. As they walked, she could hear the secre- uh… actors talking quietly on the second floor behind them.

She stopped at a cell at the end row. "See?"

Angie did a double take. _Whoa!_ The metal bars had been wrenched apart from the center – it looked like they'd been laid a smack-down by Dwayne Johnson. Beside her, Mitch's eyes widened at the sight of the large boulder obviously blocking an entrance on the inner wall of the cell. He fiddled nervously with his glasses and peered inside.

"Interesting," they both murmured at the same time.

Fascinated, the three of them filed into the cell, Mitch avoiding the bars like he thought they had teeth.

Bree set her shoulder against one side of the boulder and shoved, causing it to grate an inch or so to the left. She glanced up gleefully."It's moving! Come help me!"

Angie and Mitch exchanged looks – the former, reluctant but curious, the latter, uneasy – but they moved to help anyway. In a minute, between the three of them, they succeeded in budging away the stone to reveal-

"A tunnel!" Angie exclaimed. Her suspicions might just be right.

"Yes, Angie, we can see that," Mitch grumbled, studying the big, black hole like it was microscopic.

 _Smart aleck._

"Well, what have we got here, Sherlock Holmes?"

"I'm not sure." He shrugged, pretending not to notice her sarcasm. "Alcatraz had a number of old tunnels back then before it was made into a maximum security prison. They didn't really go anywhere but they were sealed off with cement...you know, just in case."

"Just the entrances or…?" She asked, glancing away from the tunnel long enough to see Mitch take out his phone and switch on the torchlight. He shrugged again, then folded his long body at the waist and climbed in.

"Hey! You're not going in there, are you?" _Not w_ _ithout me_!

"No, I'm just gonna see if I can roll it over." He deadpanned, flashing the torch around the sides as he kneeled and examined the rough floor - like a true scientist.

He crawled in deeper and Angie made a decision. Carefully avoiding the slight step up into the tunnel, she slid inside and inched after him. Mitch let out an exasperated sigh and turned back.

"No, Angie! Don't come in here. It's not safe. I'm just gonna look around the edges a little bit then get out." He said, flashing the torch steadily in her eyes, making her retreat a bit and shield her eyes.

"Urgh. Who are you, Indiana Jones?" She snapped irritably, but began to back out, only to collide with Bree, who had followed close behind her.

Mitch groaned. "Bree! That goes for you too. Both of you, out! I mean it!"

" But-"

Suddenly there was a commotion from outside – an animal scream, the slap of running feet on concrete, yelling.

And the tunnel sealed shut like a Venus Fly Trap.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I read, I wrote, I disclaim**

Chapter 2

Angie was trying not to panic.

So far, she'd handled it pretty well.

She'd hurled herself at the smooth, stone wall where the entrance had just been, kicking and pounding, reciting a litany of insults, then she'd switched to begging.

The wall had just stood there unmoved.

Well, that was just _great!_ Of course! _Of course_ they'd just had to get themselves _trapped in a fricking tunnel!_ _What were they gonna do?._

Mitch had just about blown a blood vessel. "Why didn't you just _listen_ to me?! I told you!...I told you don't follow me! DON'T! FOLLOW! Now just look at this MESS we've gotten in!" He'd yelled hysterically.

And a really big mess it was. There was no reception, no food or water, no one who would realize they were missing until it was too late.

Now, she was methodically biting her nails to nubs, all of them standing huddled together and facing the hollow darkness that lay before them.

"…Well, no way to go but forward." Mitch said bravely, he held the torchlight up and out so they would see the darkness better in case they missed it.

"Where do you think it goes?" Bree's voice echoed. So far, she'd been the only one who hadn't gone crazy. Just quiet and calm. It was times like this she was surprising. Maybe she was blaming herself? Angie's hand searched for hers.

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" he replied.

So they went on through twists and turns for what seemed like hours, keeping close and to the side. At one point the tunnels became long, narrow passageways of brick. That was strange- where were they going? Her fingers brushed the wall briefly and came away with a thick coat of dust and grime. The torchlight bobbed rhymtically as they walked.

The silence was overwhelming.

"Mitch?" She whispered. "What do you think happened out there?".

The way he hesitated before speaking told her he'd also been thinking about it "Honestly, it could have been anything. A terrorist attack, an accident- though I don't understand how the entrance suddenly disappeared...".

"The actors came through here, remember? There has to be an exit somewhere," Bree said reasonably.

Mitch agreed. "They might have left something... footprints or finger marks. This place is pretty dusty," he said hopefully. "It could help us find the way out."

And so they backpedaled, squinted at walls and floors and guessed their way into getting even more hopelessly lost.

 _Darn!_ These tunnels were like a maze. Every corridor they backtracked to seemed like a new one. It was just so frustrating!. Finally, Angie threw up her hands and sank to the ground, drawing her legs up to her chest. Bree and Mitch followed suit. Mitch glanced at his phone and muttered.

Angie was now on the verge of either bursting into tears or digging through the walls with her fingernails. Maybe both.

Bree sniffled.

"It's alright Bree, we'll find the way out." She tried to sound confident and hoped she wasn't lying. She already felt very thirsty. How much more time did they have?.

"Mitch, what time is it?".

"It's...2a- no, that's not possible. We haven't been in here _that_ long" he said, frowning at the screen of his phone.

Oh great, now his phone's broken too.

She sighed and turned her head away.

Well, this is it. They were going to die in this place, and when history nuts come by maybe centuries from now, they were going to find their grinning skeletons and formulate different theories on how they got here-none guessing at the power of stupidity. Angie often got annoyed at films where characters insisted on doing things like taking cursed Egyptian amulets. _How could anyone be that_ _dumb_ _?._

 _Yep._ The universe had decided to answer her question.

Maybe she should scratch 'Angie was here' on the walls so they wouldn't have to name her Lucy or something like that...

"When we get out," Bree interrupted her mid-thought, still sniffling, "we're gonna write a book about this-" _sniff_ "-and someone in Hollywood's gonna read it-" _sniff_ "-and buy the story to make it into a movie-" _sniff_ "-and we'll be rich."

Angie snorted. And soon they were all laughing hard. It reminded her of Saturday nights, when they used to sit around on the couch, munching burritos and watching comedy movies on Mitch's laptop. Her heart ached. It had been sometime since they'd done that. _She wanted_ _t_ _hem to_ _make it out of here. To a safe place._ _So they'd have the chance to do it again._

Bree continued, "you know, this could all be some kind of prank or stunt, like those reality shows like _Survivors_ and we don't know but there are cameras all over the place and they'll let us out and we'll win something."

Angie closed her eyes. She sounded so hopeful, like it was all a kind of stunt and cameras were actually watching...

On second thoughts, she did _feel_ like they were being watched. The feeling had been there for a while, but she hadn't really stopped to consider it. It was not a normal, _'Hey, look, Jimmy's watching you again! Maybe he_ likes _you-'_ way. It felt eerie and… _malicious._ And close. Very close. She got up quickly. Her stomach sank again. Like a bowling bowl just plunked down her stomach. That feeling she got when something was going to happen. Usually _bad_.

"Mitch? Bree?" She wanted to tell them they had to keep moving, to get out of here. Then she saw the glowing trail like fluorescent fog on the ground leading out the opposite way.

The wall scraped and the passage shook.

Bree and Mitch had popped up like toasts from a toaster. "What's happening" his voice shook.

A heavy silence.

Then THUNK!

A chunk of the ceiling fell, nearly decapitating her toes.

EEEEEPP!.

She jumped back. Then right before her eyes, the left wall disappeared revealing another passage way just down below them from which she heard shrieks of things that she did not want to know.

"Uh, thanks but no thanks?!" She joked a little hysterically.

And the wall she'd just been leaning on grinded forward, eating up the floor. It was going to force them down into the other passageway!.

"Quick! Follow the light!" She squealed.

"Wha-? Ahh!" Mitch yelled as she grabbed Bree's hand and yanked him by the shirt with a strength one can only get when one has a _wall_ trying to kick them out of its area.

They sprinted out, twisting and cutting corners as walls vanished or materialised, trying to block them. Then they skidded into a straight corridor with a dead end.

"Wait, it's a dead end!" Mitch shouted.

But she kept on running, her camera bouncing on her chest. Bree was right in front of her following the trail that they all now could see. She could hear Mitch's yelp and footsteps seconds later; a brick from all those falling around them must have knocked some sense out of him. Because they were definitely insane running for a blank wall they could only crack their noggins against.

If this turned out to be just a joke, if they eventually got out of here only to find some host grinning at them, yelling something like ' _S_ _mile, you're on Candid Camera!',_ she was going to tackle 'em down and give the audience a live example of TV violence.

Just as Angie was prepared to run headlong into it, the wall parted and a blinding light burst through, searing her eyes. Her converse shoes touched rocky ground and she fell into Bree as Mitch tumbled into her. Bree cried out and they all fell forward, landing on the ground in a heap.

Only to be yanked upwards, tossing and dangling in the air in a net.

Then, before they had time to do more than scream to rival a metal band, the net suddenly slackened and they were abruptly acquainted with the ground. This time, she face planted and felt pain like she'd swallowed a big ball of meat loaf and it was lodged in her chest. Fumbling and panting harshly, she tore off the strap that bound her camera to her, dragged it from under her and looked at it through watery eyes.

 _...Flash... oh!_.

Then she heard clinking, shuffling and saw plenty feet surround her. She looked up to the owners of the feet and saw teenagers. In orange T-shirts. Pointing arrows at her. And she couldn't take it anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So this is where everything begins. I introduced someone at the end of this chapter.**

 **I've always wondered what her story was, what made her become who she is (you'll know who I'm talking about). This was actually the motivation for writing this fic...**

 **So I hope you like my OC and her siblings, feel free to review and help me develop these characters.**

 **Chapter 3**

LEE

Lee instinctively ducked as the girl in the bomber jacket almost brained him with a flying camera.

She screeched – although rather unsuccessfully with all her, uh, _wheezing_ – and staggered to her feet, arms flailing like a zombie on a sugar high. Dust coated her from head to toe, greying everything from her faded light jeans to her whirlwind hair. Her bangs, mussed and grimy, clung to her forehead with sweat and her eyes were wild like a raging bull. She glared round at them with fists clenched, fury evident.

"YOU HORRIBLE IMMATURE PLAY ACTING _JERKS!_ " She screamed, almost foaming at the mouth.

Some of his siblings backed away worriedly and glanced at him as if asking _should we shoot?._

"Is this how you get your kicks, huh? _Hey! Let's just trap some poor innocent people in tunnels, scare the HELL out of them then hoist them up in nets, wicked right?!_ Well let me tell you, **NOT COOL**! Do you have ANY idea how traumatic that was! And now...now Flash is totally ruined!" She wailed.

… _Flash?_ He glanced down at the boy she'd come out of the Labyrinth with. Even when sitting with his legs drawn in, he could tell he was tall and lanky. He wore dark rimmed glasses, a collar shirt over a sweater vest and black pants which were now covered with dust, dirt and grass. He looked _uber_ nerdish, and a lot like Buddy Holly. The guy shrugged and mouthed something, cupping his hands and making a clicking motion.

Ever since they'd discovered that Luke and his monster minions were going to use the Labyrinth as an invasion route and Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson had left camp three days ago, Lee and his siblings had been guarding Zeus' fist. Then the Labyrinth entrance had suddenly opened today, and they'd been set and ready to give those party poopers a warm welcome. They hadn't expected them to be mortals.

How in Hades had they gotten in there? And how did they get out without going crazy? He had seen what the Labyrinth could do.

He shuddered away from the thought and zoned in on the girl again. Though this one has gone a little loopy. She was still shaking her fists, ranting something aboutactors. He'd have to help them the most he could, then take them out of camp through the woods. A glance at his brothers' and sisters' half lowered bows told him they were probably thinking the same thing.

But apparently, Atomic Betty wasn't satisfied with monologue just yet. She stomped up to him, lowered his arrow filled with combustible Greek fire down with a finger, then got up in his face and stabbed that finger into his breast plate.

"Don't think we can't take any legal action against you," she hissed. "I don't know much about lawsuits but I'm pretty sure we can sue you for this horrible prank you guys pulled on us."

He wanted to roll his eyes.

"Now, I want a decent apology and then you can start thinking of how to explain yourselves to the management because I'm definitely reporting this," she said smugly, stepping back to fold her hands across her chest and stare down her nose at him.

She wasn't mad – well, not _mentally_. Up close he could see her eyes. They were blue like the color of the Big House, bright with annoyance and intensely focused on him, but he didn't get the sense that someone else was in the driver's seat. She had dirt on her nose and cheeks and her choppy brown hair was stuck to her face with sweat, still watching, she pushed the bangs out of her eyes. Her skin was tan like she spent time out in the sun. She was quite pretty despite her haggard state.

"Well?" She said.

Oh, uh, what was it she asked for again?

Then he heard a whimper of pain and the girl swivelled round and gasped.

"Oh my gosh, Bree!" Abandoning her quest for vengeance, she ran towards the little kid that had been starring wide eyed at them. She'd tried to get up, then collapsed back down. "Are you hurt?" Buddy Holly look-alike shifted closer to Bree and bent over her.

He was already moving. The three of them had to be siblings. They all had the same chocolate brown hair and 'Bree' looked like a mini version of the girl. He knelt in front of her and instantly saw the problem. Her ankle was bruised and bent at an odd angle.

He touched it gently and _felt_ the injury. He could sense every throb in the ankle. Second degree lateral sprain. The ligaments were partially torn, she must have wedged her foot in a cleft and twisted it. All this just came to him like he already knew.

"She's sprained her ankle," he announced calmly. "She'll need to be taken to the infirmary." They couldn't stay here and treat her. Atomic Betty looked at him like she was surprised he could speak. He looked up and locked eyes with Michael Yew, his newest sibling. _Go warn Chiron,_ he ordered silently, nodding almost imperceptibly towards the Big House. Michael nodded and left at a run.

Between him and Tony, they lifted Bree by her arms and carried her, her brother and sister (who was chewing her thumbnail like a piece of jerky) right behind them. They'd crossed the river, trudging on towards camp, when the boy spoke suddenly.

"Hey, why are we in the middle of a forest in Alcatraz? Alcatraz doesn't _have_ a forest, does it?"

Alcatraz, San Francisco? That was a long way from Long Island; if you ignored the terrible hallucinations, monsters, possible death by starvation or disembowelment and wandering about in a maze for the rest of your life, the Labyrinth was a pretty neat go-to for travelling.

"Well where are we?"

 _Uh... well, if you feel you must know, you're in a training facility for kids of the so-called mythological Greek gods like Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite - yeah you know those ones, and oh-! Those monsters from Greek legend? Yeah, they're real too and they're out to get us!_

Lee could already imagine the _somebody-get-this-nut-some-help_ expression on his face if he ever told him that. They were at the outskirts of the forest now, almost there. There was no way they wouldn't pass through camp to get to the Big House. The Mist would distort everything they see anyway; it wasn't the first time mortals had stumbled into camp.

But as they entered into the clearing, he heard Bree gasp.

"What...?"

"Angie...are you seeing what I'm seeing?" The boy's voice was filled with disbelief.

He craned his head back and Tony murmured something. Both siblings were standing stock-still, staring at camp: the lava wall, campers fighting a drakon in an arena, flying pegasi and running dryads.

And he knew all three of them could see through the Mist.

...

Chiron was waiting on the porch in his wheelchair, some campers were also there in front of the Big House. They relieved him of Bree and took them all in. He stepped up to the porch and looked into Chiron's wise eyes.

"I think they're half-bloods. They could see through the Mist." He wondered how they were able to make it through the Labyrinth.

Chiron frowned worriedly, then turned his wheel chair quickly and entered inside and he followed.

Buddy Holly (he really needed to stop calling him that) was sitting on the nearest couch to the fireplace draped with grape vines, still in a daze. The girl – Angie? – was standing on the other side of the room by the window, peering through the purple curtains and asking if that was a real wall of fire.

"Yes, it is," Chiron smiled as he wheeled himself into the room. Lee sat down beside him.

"Is that even _legal?"_

He frowned thoughtfully. "Well-"

"Oh, _wonderful_ , a new batch of delinquents. Welcome to Camp Half Blood. Cabin eleven. Now take them away." Mr D waved them off from his Pac-man arcade game in the corner, sparing them no more than a single once-over.

"Ah, that is Mr D, our camp director, and I'm Chiron. As he said, welcome to Camp Half Blood" he spread his arms.

He then proceeded to give them the downlow on the subject of Greek gods, monsters, demigods and Camp Half Blood and by the time he was half way through, Lee could see they were not processing it well. They kept interrupting at every turn.

"Wait! Half god, half human? We're not half god!" The guy, who he'd learned by now was Mitch said.

"Well, it's the most likely explanation for being able to see through the Mist. Unless you're clear-sighted – but I find that… _extremely_ unlikely. Clear-sightedness is a rare ability in its own right; to find it in a whole family would be unprecedented," Chiron patiently explained.

"I'm pretty sure neither of our parents were gods," Angie said flatly. She'd come over to sit by her brother.

"Oh? What makes you think that?"

"Because they're both _dead_?"

The room fell into an awkward silence, broken only by the beeping of the Pac-man game and an irreverent _whoohoo_ _!_ fromMr D.

"They died in a car crash" she explained stiffly.

"…My condolences." Chiron murmured, bowing his head slightly.

Lee didn't understand. "Then can you see through the Mist? Chiron, you said clear-sightedness has never happened in a family more than once?"

"It is unprecedented, yes, but not necessarily impossible," he responded slowly, "which means it could still happen. But then we cannot rule out other possibilities… adoption for example?"

Angie shook her bent head, she had her thumb in her mouth again. "We all have baby shower pictures of our mom when she was pregnant for each of us, so I guess not".

"-though Mitch...he might have been adopted..." She grinned at her brother who gave her a black look.

"Mr Chiron, if you don't mind," he said curtly. "How did we get here? One minute we're navigating the tunnels of Alcatraz and the next, we're in Long Island and it's Monday." Drawing out his phone from his pocket, he turned it on and flashed it like an FBI badge. "It was Saturday when we came to Alcatraz." His gaze was cool and searching, like he suspected them of a major alien abduction conspiracy.

It was Mr D who answered though, he was surprised he'd been listening. "Why, it's the Labyrinth, boy. Nasty little devious maze," he snickered, Lee wasn't sure if he was talking about the Labyrinth or the maze game in front of him. The old-style machine kept going _beep, beep, clink_ , _whirr_ , _beep, beep_.

"Was used in the good ol' days to house the Minotaur you know – horrible-smelling shaggy man-beast with long horns and a taste for human burgers. Mortals were usually set loose in it to be torn apart by the monster."

"Now, people who have the misfortune of going in there end up terribly deranged or dying horrible, painful and mangled deaths."

"And it's alive and growing, like a big fat earthworm," he added conversationally, as if discussing the weather.

 _Oh_ _,_ _didn't know you knew so much about the Labyrinth, thanks Mr D. Not_. He turned and saw (with some relief) that he was not the only one whose good mood was in a puddle on the floor. Those stories of the horrors of the Labyrinth always got to him.

Chiron's face was grim, probably thinking of Percy and his friends in the Labyrinth.

After a while he said. "Alright, Angie and Mitch..."

"McKinley," Angie offered when he paused pointedly.

"-McKinley, I think we're done here. You'll be in cabin eleven… Lee, could you please see to their sleeping arrangements? The place is rather crowded. Tomorrow, you'll be taken on a grand tour of Camp Half Blood. For now, please rest and recover from your ordeal."

Lee stood up and headed for the door, and they followed suit.

"Mr. Chiron? We haven't concluded if we're Half Bloods or not," Angie said uncertainly.

He shrugged "well, as long as you are here for the summer, things should resolve themselves properly," he frowned and added softly, "or maybe not".

"Oh! And Bree! Is she ok?" She paused at the porch.

"Your sister is in good hands," his voice assured her. "You may visit her once you are settled in."

It was almost sundown, the sky was already painted with pinks and oranges. Campers had abandoned the arena, scattering weapons everywhere. There were some loitering around the basketball court and one of them waved when she saw Lee and sashayed over.

"Hey, hon. Haven't seen you in a _while,_ " she smiled at him.

"Oh, hi Drew, it's just patrol work and all." He'd spent those three days permanently stuck to his bow and arrows in a tent.

"So, new campers huh? Heard they came through the _Labyrinth._ " She looked them over, hands in her back pockets.

"Hey, I'm Drew."

Mitch just stared at her, Angie flashed an annoyed glance at him and smiled politely. "I'm Angie. And this is my brother Mitch"

"Okay, well welcome to Camp Half Blood," she said cheerfully, then stepped closer to Lee and touched his arm.

"Try to make time for me, alright sweetie? Remember you still haven't helped me out in my archery." She pouted.

Lee felt a twinge of guilt. He'd promised to teach her some archery at the beginning of summer camp, but he'd been a little preoccupied as of late. He'd have to make that up to her.

" Right. Got it, number one priority," he grinned sheepishly at her and she smiled back.

"Ok then. Later" she wriggled her fingers as she skipped off.


End file.
